Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5

[Oldmansour]

>"I'm afraid not. I only learned of the existence of these Avatars at all on the day we fought Water's and saw both her and Air's transformation. Their change in demeanor was... dramatic."

>Haruka asks gently, "You knew them?"

[DracoOmega]

>"...yes. Both of them. They were not the kind of people who would have acted as they since have."

[Oldmansour]

>"...yes. Both of them. They were not the kind of people who would have acted as they since have."

>"I am sorry." Haruka says after a moment.
>"What about this doctor?" Kenyu asks. "How much has she changed?"
>"If she is in fact the Avatar of Ice, as Lotus says, she may not have changed as much as the others. Consider what the Water Avatar did. But as far as we know, the Ice Avatar hasn't done anything of the sort."
>"Or the Air Avatar either." Camille points out. "I wonder why not. Why has the Water Avatar been the most aggressive?"

[DracoOmega]

>"She seemed to be channeling resentments that her pre-Avatar self held, but with an anger and violence that she would never have shown. It might come down to nothing more than personality differences, but again - it would help if I better understood precisely what happened to them and if ti can be somehow 'undone'."

[Oldmansour]

>"She seemed to be channeling resentments that her pre-Avatar self held, but with an anger and violence that she would never have shown. It might come down to nothing more than personality differences, but again - it would help if I better understood precisely what happened to them and if ti can be somehow 'undone'."

>"Well, getting answers outta them's gonna be tricky." Kenyu rumbles. "What about their families? Think they might know something?"
>"Not likely." Haruka disagrees. "If we're dealing with reincarnations-"
>"Wait." Kenyu interrupts her and asks you, "Which pre-Avatar self, past life or now life?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Er, um... now life. I have no idea what her past life might have been, aside from how it ended."

[Oldmansour]

>"Er, um... now life. I have no idea what her past life might have been, aside from how it ended."

>"Okay, so the question still works. Think her family might know something?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I questioned some of them, but didn't learn anything relevant."

[Oldmansour]

>"I questioned some of them, but didn't learn anything relevant."

>"Mm, that may mean they're trying to hide something from you." Camile ventures.

[DracoOmega]

>"I wouldn't put it past her mother, I admit. Certainly, I haven't stopped investigating - it's just there's been a great many issues to juggle all at once."
>"Speaking of which, I don't suppose either of you know of some means through which it might be possible to establish communications with someone in Makai?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I wouldn't put it past her mother, I admit. Certainly, I haven't stopped investigating - it's just there's been a great many issues to juggle all at once."
>"Speaking of which, I don't suppose either of you know of some means through which it might be possible to establish communications with someone in Makai?"

>"Yeah, everyone's got a lot of balls in the air." Kenyu grunts.
>The faces on all three women darken, though the Blood moreso than Haruka. "Only people that do that are black mages, dementiasts and demon worshipers." says Kenyu.

[DracoOmega]

>"Well I am none of these things, but I'd nonetheless like to try. Some of the Champions have expressed an interest in ceasing hostilities but are bound - in a literal sense, I believe - to follow the orders of their creator. I wish to speak with her."

[Oldmansour]

>"Well I am none of these things, but I'd nonetheless like to try. Some of the Champions have expressed an interest in ceasing hostilities but are bound - in a literal sense, I believe - to follow the orders of their creator. I wish to speak with her."

>"You do realize that calling another realm is incredibly dangerous?" Kenyu asks pointedly. "Especially when that realm is Makai? You open a window to talk to a neighbor, you can't always stop them throwing a molotov through that window."

[DracoOmega]

>"I imagine that depends upon the method, no?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I imagine that depends upon the method, no?"

>"Don't be a smartass. You may be the expert on these demons, but obviously I know more about contacting other worlds than you do. And I'm telling you, there's no completely safe way to do it, no matter what the realm is. And some realms, Makai, Nessus, Rak Cthol, Tanaan, are more dangerous than others. Matter of fact, Makai's right near the top of the list."
>Camille nods is silent accord.
>For her part, Haruka is also silent, but she doesn't appear to agree with the Blood. She gives you a very slight shake of the head, and a glance towards Kenyu. You think she is trying to say, 'You won't convince him.'

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, I'm certainly in no hurry to make matters here worse, I assure you. Extraplanar conversation is admittedly outside my experience."

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, I'm certainly in no hurry to make matters here worse, I assure you. Extraplanar conversation is admittedly outside my experience."

>Kenyu nods, seemingly mollified. "There are mostly safe ways to contact other realms, and there's realms that are pretty much safe to call up. But Makai isn't on either list. Hell, I'd say about the only person in town who could do it without doing too much damage or run the risk of getting pulled in himself is Scatterclaw."
>Camille visibly shudders at the name.
>"And no, that wasn't me giving you a name to go see." Kenyu says quickly and firmly. "That Black bastard would have your soul for floss. Of all the Blood in this world, he's the last one you ever want to meet."

[DracoOmega]

>"I believe I'm starting to lose count of how many people have specifically warned me off him now."

[Oldmansour]

>"I believe I'm starting to lose count of how many people have specifically warned me off him now."

>"I believe I was one of them as well." Haruka says with a slightly amused smile.

[DracoOmega]

>"Yes. And I assure you, I'm in no hurry to disregard that advice. What was it I said about having enough problems to deal with already?"
>Smile slightly

[Oldmansour]

>"Yes. And I assure you, I'm in no hurry to disregard that advice. What was it I said about having enough problems to deal with already?"
>Smile slightly

>"And while we're talking about having enough problems, you've only mentioned three Avatars." says Kenyu. "Aren't there six Champions?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Yes, though two of them are still in Makai and the one other here has yet to meet their Avatar. I suspect this is only a matter of time, however."

[Oldmansour]

>"Yes, though two of them are still in Makai and the one other here has yet to meet their Avatar. I suspect this is only a matter of time, however."

>"Is that something we could change?" Camille asks. "Maybe we could devise some way to keep the other two Champions in Makai."
>"Aw, it can't be that simple." Kenyu grouses. "This has already spread too far to be that simple."

[DracoOmega]

>"If the barrier itself cannot keep them out, I'm not certain we can. Though I admit I do not entirely know why they aren't here already."

[Oldmansour]

>"If the barrier itself cannot keep them out, I'm not certain we can. Though I admit I do not entirely know why they aren't here already."

>"Well can't we strengthen this barrier?" Camille asks.

[DracoOmega]

>"Perhaps if we were to know where they planned to breach it, it might be possible.... But I'm not certain how we would know this."

[Oldmansour]

>"Perhaps if we were to know where they planned to breach it, it might be possible.... But I'm not certain how we would know this."

>"Wataru might." Kenyu posits. "He's got a knack for shields and barriers."
>"Not of the inter-planar kind." Camille tells him.
>Kenyu grumbles but doesn't argue the point.
>"In the meantime, Lotus, there's another angle we could explore." Haruka says. "Do you think it would help our cause if we could determine the identities of the Avatars in their past lives?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I cannot say for certain, but any information we could find on the nature of the Avatars and their bond with their Champions is potentially valuable."

[Oldmansour]

>"I cannot say for certain, but any information we could find on the nature of the Avatars and their bond with their Champions is potentially valuable."

>"It's something of a longshot, but there may be mention of the kinds of incidents we spoke of before, of people being banished to Makai, in our records. I could have them examined to see if we can find connections between any of those beings and the Avatars."
>"Come on, Haruka, you can't be serious." Kenyu tells her. "Even I know enough about reincarnations to know that you rarely get direct connections from one life to the next. It's probably just a stroke of luck we know the Air Avatar's past life."
>"Be that as it may, I wouldn't be doing due diligence if I didn't explore all our options. Perhaps Lotus would have some insight that we do not."

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm not sure there's much to go on for the others at this point, but I certainly wouldn't turn down the possibility of additional information."